If you have a spouse or partner, are they readers too? How does their reading differ from yours?

If you have a spouse or partner, are they readers too? How does their reading differ from yours?

My spouse will read a book if it is a topic of interest. Mostly nonfic but not exclusively. If I read or read about something that I think might appeal I suggest it. He sometimes comes to me asking if I will source a book that he’s heard about. I’m always happy to do so. He’s one of those readers who reads voraciously once he starts then goes without until something else strikes a chord. So our reading habits are nothing alike but our reading interests sometimes intersect.

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My Hubby is also a reader and reads a lot given that he doesn’t watch TV at all. I read a wider selection of genres than he does but he is better read in the classics than me by far. Our reading interests tends to be vastly different but thankfully, we can agree on an audiobook for roadtrips. :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

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The only reading my husband did over the years was to faithfully read Sports Illustrated from cover to cover every week. The first 30 years of our marriage revolved around our daughter, our jobs, and the sports he participated in: baseball, softball, golf, basketball, racquetball, volleyball, bowling, and watching sporting events on TV and in person. I jokingly told people that if an event didn’t involve a ball we didn’t attend. Since retirement and his body paying the price for all of those sports, he has started reading more. He reads nonfiction exclusively and enjoys baseball history, military history, American history, and agriculture, in which he bought and sold grain and managed elevators for 40+ years. He even loans and borrows books with the other men at the local Senior Center.

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Once again our backgrounds come together @Lana_Maskus. Or at least that of your husband. My dad worked a grain elevator for a while also. And I can totally relate to all the sporting events. My parents were remarkable about making it to all the games if not transporting a carload of girls. How fun!

My husband has a lunch group that has a book exchange. When he came home calling it his book club I had to laugh.

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My husband reads mostly online articles about cars; high performance cars. He knows the ins and outs of every generation of Corvettes. I didn’t know there were generations until we married five years ago. He could tell you about the latest models and specs on Vettes, Ferraris, McLarens, and Lamborghinis. Related to this topic then naturally comes racing these cars. He reads about NTT Indy Car series and drivers. He recently finished a biography by Al Unser, Jr. and is ready to tackle the two volumes about A. J. Foyt. Formula 1? Nope, too political with some outcomes seemingly controlled to favor the favorite driver of the year.

He also favors reading about the Green Bay Packers and especially Vince Lombardi. I don’t want to start any football wars here, but we own stock in the Packers. It’s the only publicly owned NFL team, which is special. There are over 500,000 owners across the world. Amazing!

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That is so cool! I don’t think many people realize what it takes to get grains from the farm to their table and the capacity that American grains have for the entire world. American grain truly feeds the entire world (or at least it did until the destruction of USAID and the imposition of tariffs). Farmers, anyone tied to agriculture, and the consumer are really feeling the negative impact of the present administration’s policies. Sorry for climbing onto the soapbox.

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My husband has been a Packers fan since Bart Starr. He will be so envious of your stockholder status when I tell him. Several years ago they opened up some shares to the public. He thought about buying a share, but talked himself out of it. He continues to kick himself over that decision.

We each own one share, that’s all, but it’s special. I enjoy telling people that we co-own an NFL team. Their reaction is usually surprise and maybe confusion because we don’t look like multi-billionaires! A lot of people assume the Packers have one owner/family. We can even buy owner apparel. Sorry your husband didn’t jump in there to buy one stock. The stocks can not be sold, ever. We need to pass them on to family after our deaths. Amazing fan base!

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My hubby reads daily (he has a streak on his Kindle that he’s very proud of). His tastes tend to be a little less picky than mine, though. He prefers thrillers, particularly those that take place in the outdoors or the West. Every now & then I’ll pick up a book for him that I think he’d like, but generally our selections don’t overlap much.

My husband loves to walk in a nearby park. He loves audio books on his walks 5-10 miles a day, so we share my audible account. He is very eclectic in his listening. He relies a lot on my recommendations, but enjoys interesting nonfiction the most. We are currently both listening to Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green. We only discuss our mutual books after we both have completed and no spoilers. We both just finished a book about a garbage man from Montreal which opened our eyes to that profession and the effects of our rampant consumerism and throw-away society. My walks tend to be 2-3 miles, alone, and in malls!

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No longer married, but when I was he did not read, only vice was newspapers at the time. He was always commenting on my love of reading and the fact that I always packed at least 3 books for every vacation. I have however raised at least one serious reader and one not too serious one. Like her father she is a huge television/ movie fan.

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Haha, @NanK! I’m hoping not to add fuel to those football fires either. I’m so not qualified to enter that fray. But, after 46 years of marriage to the same guy, I do know that the Ice Bowl will always be something other than what you set out on the counter before guests arrive to keep their drinks cold. And I know what Starr/Dowler/TD means. The Packer’s blanket, its glory days long past, has been relegated to the backseat of the Outback where our dog seems to be enjoying it very much. The cheesehead has gone missing. About that I say nothing.

I’m sure said hubby would love to know what books about Lombardi and the Packers your husband has enjoyed. My guy was in the automotive aftermarket his entire sales career and enjoyed the folks he met there. He spent a good bit of time around cars and knew them fairly well but never really enjoyed watching them go around in circles (without a good set of earplugs anyway).

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When Pride Still Mattered is one book; an older copyright. If he’s a huge fan you might gift him the four volume history of the team. It’s $100 and available through the Packers Pro shop. There’s a YouTube series that examines each decade. We’ve watched it although it stops short of Jordan Love’s quarterback career. Has he watched highlights from the Ice Bowl? Also on YouTube.

About racing - driving oval courses require a lot of strength, strategy and luck. The Indy 500 is the crown jewel. You should attend this awesome event at least once. It’s a thrill.

Good luck searching!

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Had to laugh - I also have a Kindle streak. It is kind of an obsession. Trying to “let it go” but for some reason I mentally keep moving the bar. It is a thing but better than other addictions (or so I tell myself - yes, still in denial phase. LOL).

And in our family, I am the sports fan. So if there is a book on sports in the house, it is mine.

Thank you, @NanK. I think When Pride Still Mattered would be a good Christmas stocking stuffer for my guy, along with that excellent set of earplugs – just in case we someday get to that Crown Jewel you described.

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